The state is seizing upon the nostalgic popularity of Connecticut’s gone but not forgotten former major league sports team, the Hartford Whalers. The Connecticut Lottery is releasing a new scratch game featuring the famous intertwined whale tail logo with the hidden in plain sight H and W. A lottery spokeswoman told me the game debuts Tuesday, November 12th at lottery outlets everywhere, adding in some paperwork that “brand recognition for the Hartford Whalers is tremendous.” Details are expected soon, but the agency is already promoting the game in stores across the state.

The grand prize for the Whalers scratch game is $30,000 with a minimum prize of $3, the cost of the ticket. Overall odds are 1 in 3:67.

It seems like a smart move by the lottery. Whalers merchandise is a hot seller not only here in the land of their fan base, but in other parts of the country. One of the Red Sox shops on Yawkey Way in Boston was peddling Hartford Whalers gear during the World Series, and a New York Post columnist recently marveled at the wide array of Whale wear at the official NHL store in Manhattan. The familiar blue and green have been snapped up by celebrities, professional athletes and by people who are too young to remember when the beloved team was skating at the Hartford Civic Center. I saw a boy my son’s age wearing a Whalers t-shirt recently, and a college-aged clerk at Whole Foods was also spotting wearing one.

This is not the first Hartford Whalers lottery game. This one was on the scene in 1992.

Read more Whalers stories and watch some recent interviews right here: http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/fts-flashback-the-day-connecticut-became-a-major-league-state/